Alias John Law

To be fair to Robert Bradbury, he tries to pack quite a lot into this pacy little western with Bob Steele ("John") trying to outwit the evil "Kootney Kid" (Earl Dwire) who is trying to swindle him out of his late mother's ranch - there be oil there! "Kootney" had robbed the stage, and procured a letter that he presented to the local judge (a fun scene featuring Robert McKenzie) to validate his claim to the ranch, and he also accuses "John" of really being the man behind the mail robbery - allegations which our hero, his gal "JoAnne" (Roberta Gale) and his useful lip-reading sidekick "Bootch" (the scene stealing Buck Connors) must refute if they are to thwart his cunning plans. It's interesting that in modern times when we can't go to the park without being identified several dozen ways, that back then, out West, identification basically relied on you actually being who you said you were, and guns were often the final arbiter - as is the case here. Its not a bad film, just nothing at all new and Steele is pretty bland.

I found this movie rather sow and boring. The plot:

John Clark (Bob Steele) and his deaf pal, Bootch Collum (Buck Connors), are trailed by U. S. Marshal Lamar Bly (Jack Rockwell), who thinks they are part of The Kootney Kid's (Earl Dwire) gang, which had just held up the stage coach.

But the gang attacks the pair, and Bly joins them in the gunfight.

Bly is wounded and is taken to a Mexican's camp to recover. He gives John his badge and authorizes him to take up the hunt.

The Kid, unknown to John by sight, is on a ranch which he hopes to gain legal possession of as it has oil.

It is really John's by right, which he does not know until informed by his sweetheart, Joan Vallon (Roberta Gale.)

The Kid has taken a letter from the stage holdup which he is using to establish his identity as the rightful owner named Everett Tarkington Clark, John's real name.

John is in the courtroom when the Kid makes his claim, but his protest is overruled and he is arrested on suspicion of having killed Marshal Bly.

Very entertaining but a little confusing as both the good guy and the bad guy are masquerading as someone else. The excitement starts when America's favorite sheriff Jack Rockwell is chasing down the Kootney Kid (Earle Dwire). Buffalo Bill Cody's real life friend Buck Connors and Bob Steele get caught in the crossfire with Kootney's henchmen. Steele is only trying to get to his mother but the wondrous leading lady, Roberta Gale gives him some bad news and sets the stage for a land grab with the Kid. Man of many careers, Roger Williams is throwing lead at Steele. However, the best scene is in the courtroom with the judge played by Robert McKenzie. Also, Connors provides some brilliant comic relief as the deaf witness who unwittingly disobeys the judge's orders. Bob Steele heads a first-rate cast who work splendidly together under dad Bradbury's direction.

Orphaned Bob Steele and sidekick Buck Connors head back home, to discover his mother is dead, and that Earl Dwire - who he is trailing, although he doesn't know it, for wounded Marshall Jack Rockwell - is trying to grab his mother's ranch, which has oil.

You may think this movie doesn't star Steele, but Tim McCoy. McCoy starred in THE REVENGE RIDER the same year; it also was known as ALIAS JOHN LAW. In any case, Dwire winds up with ranch and heading off to kill Rockwell, while Steele and Connors are to be thrown into jail... and that's when Steele busts loose.

It's a handsome movie under the direction of Steele's father, Robert Bradbury. The pacing is excellent. Editor Earl Luby doesn't waste time with extended horseback scenes, nor overlong entrances and exits. Instead, he uses short takes and a rising rate of cuts to build excitement, and cameraman William Nobles shows us the wind in the trees and framed compositions. The story doesn't do anything new, but between Steele's athleticism, and everyone behind the camera doing their jobs well, it's a very well made B western

The reviewer arfdawg-1 described this Bob Steele film as 'slow and boring'. Well, after seeing "Alias John Law", I'd certainly have to agree. While I often have enjoyed Steele's film, this one is amazingly low energy and not much fun to watch.

The film begins with some evil folks trying to shoot John (Steele) and Booch. Why, they don't know. However, the sheriff happens along at the same time and helps to drive away the baddies, but he's seriously injured in the process. John knows the sheriff and assumes his identity (???). His reasoning is that when he catches the baddies, he'll give the reward money to the sheriff. Why not just catch the guy and give the money to him after--this is a dumb plot device that not surprisingly comes back to haunt John. And, through the course of the film, it turns out that the leader of this gang is none other than the man that is out to steal John's inheritance--a very common theme in old B-westerns. With the help of his deaf friend*, the pair set out to restore niceness to the west.

There are many problems with the film in addition to its dullness. The plot is often riddled with clichés and holes. For example, twice the evil Kootney Kid is confronted by his underlings and so you KNOW that Kootney will almost immediately murder them! The worst was when one said '...you're not going to turn me over to the sheriff...if you do, I'll spill everything...'--and you KNEW what was coming next!! Additionally, while I like the idea of a deaf sidekick (since my own daughter is deaf), the way they handled it showed that they did no research. NO ONE is that good at reading lips. And, as a man who's been deaf all his life, his speech was way too good--both with annunciation and volume to his speaking voice.

The bottom line is that they made at least 237529351341 low budget westerns in the 1930s--surely you can find one better and more interesting than this one.